McIlroy: It's my swing, not my clubs

Last updated: 27th February 2013

Rory McIlroy insists his poor play so far this season is down to problems with his swing, and not his new equipment.

The world number one is in Florida this week, where he will look to become the first man to successfully defend his Honda Classic title since Jack Nicklaus did it back in 1978.

"Hopefully I'm the first one since Jack to do it this week," he said.

"This week always depends on the conditions, it can get quite windy here and the course can play firm and it can get tricky but it doesn't look like its going to be that way this week."

McIlroy isn't in the greatest form heading into the tournament, having lost in the first round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship last week and missing the cut at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship a few weeks earlier, but he insists his problems this season are down to his swing and not the new Nike equipment that accompanied his recent multi-million pound sponsorship switch.

"It's still an adjustment period," he said.

"It is more about how I'm swinging the club. That's the real concern. It's a little bit mental, but it was more physical [with my swing]."

McIlroy says he is feeling more comfortable with his new gear, but admits he needs to play more to gain in confidence.

"The ball was the easiest thing," he said of his new kit. "The biggest thing was finding a driver that suited me and I feel like I've got one now that really works. I just need tournament rounds to get that confidence in it.

"I knew there were going to be comments made if it didn't happen for me right away.

"I'm only two tournaments into the season, I've got 20 to go so it's not like I'm in any rush or pushing for answers, looking for answers, everything is there it's just a matter of putting it all together."

McIlroy joins a strong field at Palm Beach Gardens this week which includes the likes of Tiger Woods, Louis Oosthuizen, Lee Westwood and Justin Rose.